Wraith Squadron
Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Galaxy at War See also: GaW Military Units Wraith Squadron is a patently bizarre Starfighter unit. Although ostensibly created by New Republic Starfighter Command in 7 ABY, the squadron actually came to life as the result of a wager between Commander Wedge Antilles and Admiral Ackbar. Antilles, a Starfighter ace who saw a military niche halfway between pilot and commando that he could fill, bet Ackbar that he could whip 10 washout flyers into fighting shape and build a hybrid unit. The members of Wraith Squadron, equally skilled in Starfighter piloting and special-forces disciplines, applied their oddball personalities to espionage, sabotage, and infiltration missions that ultimately redefined New Republic Intelligence. Antilles appointed his friend and former wingman Wes Janson as the squadron's second-in-command. The first class of Wraiths included former child holodrama actor Garik "Face" Loran, moody sniper Myn Donos, genetically altered Gamorrean fighter Voort "Piggy" saBinring, Admiral Ackbar's niece Jesmin Ackbar, Bothan slicer Eurrsk "Grinder" Thri'ag, multiple-personality Thakwaash pilot Hohass "Runt" Ekwesh, and Kell Tainer, the son of a man that Wes Janson had been forced to kill during his time with the Tierfon Yellow Aces. The squadron trained at the moon base of Folor and drew the scorn of purist pilots. The Wraiths joined in The New Republic's campaign to defeat Warlord Zsinj, one of many Imperials trying to carve out his own piece of the splintering Empire. Admiral Trigit, commander of the Star Destroyer Implacable in Zsinj's fleet, became the squadron's first target. After the members of Wraith Squadron captured the enemy corvette Night Caller and posed as the vessel's crew, they wormed their way into Zsinj's operation and set a trap for Admiral Trigit at Ession. Their efforts culminated in the destruction of The Implacable. With their impersonation and infiltration tactics a proven success, the members of the Wraiths next posed as the Hawk-bats, an ersatz pirate band. After Zsinj recruited them, they gained valuable intelligence on the warlord's strike at the Kuat shipyards. Zsinj stole the Super Star Destroyer Razor's Kiss, and Wraith Squadron's effort to undo his triumph ended in the Battle of Selaggis. A massive New Republic naval taskforce seemingly ended Zsinj's threat forever. Wraith Squadron no longer fit the strict definition of a Starfighter squadron. Its members underwent a reassignment from Starfighter Command to New Republic Intelligence, where they enjoyed far more autonomy. Under commander Garik Loran, Wraith Squadron aided in the fight against Admiral Daala, in the Black Fleet Crisis, and in the hunt for the Caamas Document. During the Yuuzhan Vong Invasion, Wraith Squadron helped The Jedi kill Yammosk war coordinators. Their diverse specialities allowed squadron members to fool the Yuuzhan Vong into thinking that Jaina Solo was the incarnation of the trickster goddess Yun-Harla and to create undercover disguises for accompanying Luke Skywalker on a mission to enemy-held Coruscant. After the war's end, Wraith Squadron continued to serve as Galactic alliance Intelligence's preeminent field unit. Methods Although the members of Wraith Squadron have become polished after years of working together, the team began as a mixed bag of misfits. Many observers thought they they would kill each other before their first mission, yet those colliding personalities frequently sparked brilliance. Unconventional solutions are a Wraith Squadron trademark. The team improvises with any tools at hand to to pull off schemes that most would deem suicidal. During the campaign against Zsinj, the team captured the Night Caller by bolting maneuvering jets and an X-Wing Laser Cannon onto an airtight smuggling compartment, creating a makeshift boarding craft dubbed the Lunatic. Wraith Squadron has been compared to The Katarn Commandos, since both groups are 12-member field units made up of eccentrics and expected to accomplish tough missions on their own. But The Katarn Commandos are a superior straight commando unit, whereas Wraith Squadron views its members' specialities as their "Second Jobs." All team members are pilots first and foremost, and most of the squadron's assignments involve space or atmospheric combat. Although Wraith Squadron is an X-Wing squadron, its undercover roles require familiarity with a wide variety of fighters. When it takes to the ground, Wraith Squadron deploys in small teams with members chosen based on mission objectives. There are typically specialists in demolitions, computer slicing, and many other fields, and each team is often split into multiple air-surface units to provide air cover for infiltration and sabotage teams. The dozen members of Wraith Squadron have become respected veterans in New Republic Intelligence with a cloud of support staff at their disposal. It is not unusual for a member of Wraith Squadron to act as the commanding officer for a small team of NRI agents. Missions Wedge Antilles founded Wraith Squadron when he saw an opportunity to fill a gap in The New Republic armed forces. Because pilots had no commando expertise and commandos had no piloting expertise, neither group could tackle a space/ground mission on its own. As a pilot, Antilles naturally drew his candidates from The New Republic's X-Wing ranks. For many of these candidates, marred by black marks for dissertation, mental imbalance, or other flaws, Wraith Squadron represented their last chance. Early missions were frequently planned on the fly, after unexpected events and sudden reversals. Wraith Squadron still specializes in radical deviations from mission plans. For this reason, New Republic Intelligence generally gives the squadron an objective but doesn't sweat the details of how that objective will be achieved. Wraith Squadron is never subject to micromanaging from upper levels of the command chain. As a Starfighter squadron, Wraith Squadron almost always spends some of every mission inside cockpits. The squadron's tasks can include clearing out a Starfighter screen above a target facility, providing strafing coverage for a ground team in trouble, or taking out an orbiting Capital Ship before it trains its Turbolasers on the planet below. Ground missions are where the members of Wraith Squadron seperate themselves from other famous pilots such as the flyers of Rogue Squadron. Although the Wraith team can blow things up with the best of them, its members have a particular expertise at adopting false identities to work their way into position for a stab at the enemy's heart. Master actor Garik Loran inspired such schemes as the impersonation of the Night Caller's crew, the creation of the phony Hawk-bat pirates, and the use of fake Vonduun Crabshell to make the Wraith resemble Yuuzhan Vong warriors. Rank Structure Despite their official status with New Republic Intelligence, the members of the Wraiths have Starfighter Command military ranks. A new member is likely to carry the rank of Flight Officer, and a veteran might have the rank of Lieutenant. During Garik Loran's first tenure as head of the Wraiths, he carried the rank of Brevet Captain; Wedge Antilles was a Commander while doing the same. During the squadron's formation, its members rarely had the respect of their peers, regardless of rank. Later, after the squadron's reformation within NRI, the situation was reversed. Even a lowly Flight Officer with the Wraiths could hold a room of aces spellbound with tales of the squadron's exploits. Vacancies in the squadron are filled according to role. Wraith Squadron maintains a diverse roster of specialists at all times. Although the roster itself is flexible, positions that Wraith Squadron regularly needs include the following: * A demolitions expert who knows how to take out cannons and other large targets. * A computer slicer who can crack into protected sat cores faster than any Droid. * An expert at mimicry who can take on the mannerisms of others for undercover ops. * A sniper for long-range backup and target elimination. * An atmospheric and ground Vehicle specialist, capable of hotwiring and operating anything. * A comm specialist, able to boost the team's signals, jam the enemy's signals, and encrypt sensitive messages. * A medic for when field missions don't go as planned. * An intelligence and analysis expert, particularly useful during the planning stages of an operation. * A stealth expert who (Unlike the mimic) can gain access to enemy installations through quiet subterfuge. * A brawler and melee combatant able to handle any non-Human- the bigger and uglier, the better. Wraith Heroic Units See also: Heroic Units Wraith Vehicles See also: Vehicles